It seems that most people are forgetting or don't know that most of the plants in the area of the fires will only "reproduce" after their seeds have be subjected to fire. I can't remember the name of the plant, but it is found in Southern California and only germinates after it has been subjet to fire. Fire is part of the ecosystem there.

This area is always going to have fires. Like others have said, the owners of the houses that burned should have known the risks inherent in living there. If they had insurance, they are covered. If they didn't have insurance, lesson learned.

Where I lived in Iowa, there were people that lived on the river bank in houses built on stilts. Every single spring some of these houses would get flooded out. Every spring a homeowner would bitch because they didn't have flood insurance because it was too expensive and expect free money to rebuild their house! These are the idiots that I don't feel sorry for.